2019 NBA Mock Draft: The Boston Celtics clean up

Quietly (and I mean almost silently. People seem to only want to talk about Porter when there is drama or excellence), Porter has put together two solid performances for USC back to back. After ten points last Wednesday against Stanford on the road, Porter followed up with 14 points on five shots in a victory at California.

In addition to Porter scoring more efficiently, he has put more of an emphasis on his playmaking, with six assists over the past two games to show for it.

Perhaps this is a result of Porter’s prolonged spat with the basketball program at Southern California that made some believe he may not play again this season to rehab a quad injury or simply prepare for the draft away from campus. Coach Andy Enfield wants players to move the ball and find good shots on offense, which is why plays many versatile players together almost all the time. It’s also likely why he shut Porter into the corner on many possessions as a floor-spacer when he ultimately returned from that quad injury in January. Enfield was sending a message: Play the right way or don’t at all, draft position be damned.

Rather than leave school and have poor play and infighting be his lasting impression at USC, Porter has looked like a different kind of player this week. Certainly, the infighting may still be going on and the questions about attitude and chemistry will be on the minds of talent evaluators until they get into a room with Porter before the draft, but getting back on the court, being effective and playing smart team basketball has helped Porter’s stock in our eyes.